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At tech/AI confab, C.H. Robinson tackles insurance and liability. Waiting for judge's affirmation or reduction of Texas nuclear verdict as plaintiffs file formal request. · Tuesday, September 08, 2026 Technology conferences are not usually the place where C.H. Robinson greets an audience of investors, with most of its appearances on the conference circuit focused on transportation and logistics. But the changing legal environment for brokerages was never too far away from the discussion Tuesday at Citi's Global TMT Conference in New York, where C.H. Robinson CEO Dave Bozeman presented along with two colleagues at a tech-focused gathering that often has as many as 2,000 attendees. C.H. Robinson and the rest of the logistics legal community is waiting on a ruling from Dallas County Court Judge Dianne Jones on whether to affirm all or part of the more than $600 million verdict handed down against C.H. Robinson in late July over a fatal 2021 crash in Jackson, Mississippi. C.H. Robinson had hired carrier Lupus Superior, which owned the truck that crashed, killing employee driver Gorgonio Gonzalez as well as a car passenger, Peyton Lipe, the first named plaintiff in the lawsuit. Lupus Superior is based in Texas which is why the case was heard in that state. Formal request is in Attorneys for the plaintiffs last week filed their formal request to the court for entry of the judgment. It noted that the jury had found 45% of the blame assigned to Gonzalez, 45% to Lupus Superior and 23% to C.H. Robinson. But the filing also noted that C.H. Robinson is vicariously liable for that portion of the blame assigned to Gonzalez, who is deceased. The jury also had found that C.H. Robinson was effectively Gonzalez' employee, a ruling that if it stands on appeal could have far-reaching impact on trucking litigation. In the discussion about the landscape for C.H. Robinson and brokers in general, with the Lipe nuclear verdict and the Supreme Court decision in Montgomery vs. Caribe Transport II in the background, C.H. Robinson CFO Damon Lee reiterated comments that Bozeman and other company officials have made recently: FreightWaves, Inc. is in good shape. Lee said C.H. Robinson had an opportunity to settle the Lipe case but chose not to do so. "We feel like we will prevail on appeal," he said. Lee added that 98% of "all our cases either get dismissed or settled. We don't think that trend is going to be disrupted post-Montgomery and post-Lipe." Bozeman said the number of lawsuits C.H. Robinson (NASDAQ: CHRW) is fighting at any given time is in "the lower side of the tens" which he contrasted with "hundreds of millions of shipments." No insurance premium crisis expected On questioning from Citigroup's Ariel Rosa about investor concerns about C.H. Robinson's future, in particular about how much it might need to spend on insurance post-Montgomery and post-Lipa, Lee said he was optimistic about what insurance companies will do when they provide "their verdict" on the company's 2027 premiums, which are now being negotiated. C.H. Robinson expects insurance costs are going to increase by "a very manageable number," he said, "and the majority of it will get passed through freight rates anyway. Ultimately the consumer will bear the majority of that cost." Insurance costs plus claims are "immaterial" at C.H. Robinson, Lee said. They are less than 50 bps of gross revenue and auto liability insurance is only about 25 bps of that, he added. "Even if we did see a material increase in inflation on insurance, it's not going to have a material increase on our earnings," Lee said. "So we feel really good about where we're at." Stock has been impacted C.H. Robinson stock has taken a pounding, particularly after the Lipe nuclear verdict. Its hit a 52-week high of $210.33 on July 22. The Lipa verdict came down two days later. C.H. Robinson's stock price then bottomed out at $141.63 before closing Tuesday at just over $150, up more than 2% on a day when the S&P 500 fell almost 0.6%. Just before the conference began, Citi upgraded its rating on C.H. Robinson's stock to buy from neutral. In its commentary on the move, Citi said it expects that the final judgment from Judge Jones "could be less severe than the initial jury verdict." Citi also said it expects "potential regulatory intervention also driving a more balanced solution," a reference to industry statements that post-Montgomery, the brokerage industry needs guidelines on what constitutes a "safe harbor" set of guidelines on what a 3PL needs to perform in hiring a carrier in a process that protects it from liability in case of a wreck. Bozeman was more specific, saying C.H. Robinson was "working with FMCSA to get a standard through the Department of Transportation." He added that he will be visiting Washington next week to lobby for more clear rules. Oh yeah, Montgomery too Bozeman also downplayed the impact of the Supreme Court's Montgomery decision. While C.H. Robinson was out of the case as a named defendant when it went to the Supreme Court, it had been an original defendant and it led the effort before the nine justices. The unanimous Montgomery ruling precluded brokers from using the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act as a firewall against being found liable or negligent in a case involving a carrier hired by the 3PL. "That's just one defense that's now off," Bozeman said. "We've had to deal with well over 30 states that didn't have that anyway." C.H. Robinson's presence at a tech conference was backed up by Rosa's review of what technology, specifically AI, had wrought at the 3PL: gross profit per employee up 60%, headcount down about 30% and shipments per employee increasing at a double-digit rate. Arun Rajan, C.H. Robinson's chief strategy and innovation officer, said the first two or three years of his five-year tenure at the company saw the company use "traditional software engineering approaches" to produce its internal technology tools. The problem with that approach, he said, is that "a lot of projects wouldn't make the ROI bar because there's a lot of software engineering effort." That gets magnified in the brokerage business, Rajan added, because it's an industry that "is plagued by nuances that are specific to customers and to carriers. We sit in the middle." But projects that a few years ago would not have made that "ROI bar" now can do so because of AI. Coding tools in AI, Rajan said, are "massively better." A team of 500 software engineers at the company "punch like there are 2,000 to 3,000 of them as they start to use coding tools." Beyond that, agentic AI tools are able to "capture the collective knowledge of the company," with the agentic AI tools built on top of large language models (LLMs). "This has created this massive acceleration in our productivity in the last couple of years,." he said. Upcoming FreightWaves Events Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN F3 Awards Dinner The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals. October 27, 2026 - October 28, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN

$604M CH Robinson verdict still isn't final yet. CH Robinson's $604 million nuclear verdict still hasn't been affirmed - and that delay matters. John Kingston breaks down where the Lipa v. Lupu Superior case stands, why the judge's next move could reshape broker liability, and why big brokers think smaller competitors may take the harder hit. This is one of the most important legal stories in trucking right now: insurance, partial liability, appeals and what comes next for freight brokerage. More than six weeks after a Dallas County jury handed down a $604 million verdict against C.H. Robinson in the LIPA v. Lupus Superior case, a judge has still not affirmed the award - a delay that is itself significant, since the ruling must be confirmed before any appeal can proceed. Plaintiffs filed a formal brief last week requesting affirmation, but the court has taken no action. A Citigroup analyst note published the same day indicated the judge is expected to rule within 90 days. The prolonged wait has drawn attention across the freight brokerage industry because the verdict is the largest nuclear lawsuit judgment ever recorded against an operating carrier or broker. C.H. Robinson has not publicly disclosed any new information about the case. At a Citigroup technology conference, CEO Dave Bozeman referenced the litigation only in passing, noting that the company's negligence and liability suits are "measured in the tens" while it handles millions of shipments every day. "The money in the C.H. Robinson case is probably less important to them than the fact that they were viewed to be the employer of the driver, because that's the kind of thing that just keeps going and going and going in further litigation. The money leaves, the pay and it's done," said Kingston. Central to the case is the legal theory that the driver - now deceased - qualified as a "borrowed employee" of C.H. Robinson because he used the company's app. Plaintiff attorneys pursued that angle specifically anticipating that other liability theories, similar to those rejected in the Home Depot case, would be thrown out on appeal. C.H. Robinson was found only 23% liable, a share that translates to roughly $135 million - a figure that corresponds almost exactly to the company's insurance cap, suggesting jurors may have calibrated the award to the policy limit. Even if the judge reduces the verdict, the case is expected to be appealed regardless. Bozeman noted at the Citigroup conference that C.H. Robinson's typical negligence settlements run between $1 million and $3 million - a wide gulf from a nine-figure judgment. For context, Wabash faced a roughly $450 million verdict in St. Louis that was ultimately settled for a figure still in the hundreds of millions. C.H. Robinson's potential exposure is complicated by joint-liability rules: co-defendant Lupus Superior operates approximately 200 trucks and is unlikely to be able to cover its share, which could shift a larger portion of any final judgment onto the broker. The LIPA verdict is one of several cases reshaping broker and carrier liability standards. In the Penske Logistics case, a court found the company liable for a fatal accident involving a carrier to which it had brokered freight - even though that carrier held its own operating authority. The Truckload Carriers Association and the American Trucking Associations jointly warned that if the Penske ruling stands, it would have a profound impact not only on the trucking industry but on the broader economy. Meanwhile, a separate case involving alleged double-brokering to a carrier without active operating authority, and another involving J.B. Hunt, are adding to a growing body of litigation that attorneys say could fundamentally alter the brokerage model. The broader legal environment is already consolidating the industry. Bozeman pointed out at the Citigroup event that C.H. Robinson has cut between 6,000 and 7,000 employees over the past two and a half years while using AI adoption to drive gains in revenue per employee and profit per employee. Larger brokers with deeper balance sheets and more robust insurance programs say they are better positioned than mid-market and smaller competitors to absorb the costs and compliance demands of tightening liability standards - though critics debate whether size alone translates to better safety processes. * A Dallas County judge has not acted on the $604 million LIPA v. Lupus Superior verdict in more than six weeks; a ruling is expected within 90 days. * C.H. Robinson's 23% liability share aligns almost exactly with its insurance cap, and co-defendant Lupus Superior's ~200-truck operation is unlikely to cover its portion of any final award. * The Penske Logistics case - where a court found Penske liable despite brokering freight to a carrier with its own authority - is being watched as a potentially sweeping precedent for the entire brokerage industry. This Summary is generated thanks to a transcription of the interview, for the full interview please enjoy the video above.

Forbes names C.H. Robinson one of America's Best Employers for Tech Workers. C.H. Robinson joins the ranks of leading employers recognized by Forbes for empowering technology talent, innovation and career growth. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - C.H. Robinson, the global leader in Lean AI supply chains, has been recognized as one of America's Best Employers for Tech Workers 2026, a prestigious award given by Forbes and Statista. This... September 2, 2026 at 4:43 p.m. C.H. Robinson joins the ranks of leading employers recognized by Forbes for empowering technology talent, innovation and career growth. EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - C.H. Robinson, the global leader in Lean AI supply chains, has been recognized as one of America's Best Employers for Tech Workers 2026, a prestigious award given by Forbes and Statista. This recognition places C.H. Robinson among the Top 300 employers for tech professionals in the country, chosen through a nationwide survey of over 50,000 tech workers from companies employing at least 1,000 people in all industry sectors. Receiving this award demonstrates a commitment to a workplace where technology professionals can innovate, grow, and make a meaningful impact. "Our team has turned this 120-year-old company into an AI pioneer and made us one of the few companies, not just in our industry, but in any industry to be getting real ROI from artificial intelligence," said Mike Neill, Chief Technology Officer at C.H. Robinson. "That's our builder culture at work. We're proud to be the disrupters, not the disrupted, and everyone who works in tech at this company has the opportunity to impact our company, customers, carriers and global supply chains on a massive scale." Data from over a three-year period was considered, differentiating companies that consistently perform well from those that may have had a single good year. Over 2 million employer evaluations are considered from employees themselves, their friends and family, and people who work in the same industry. This recognition highlights the company's success in building an innovative, empowering and inclusive environment where tech talent can thrive. The ranking evaluated companies based on workplace culture, compensation, employee satisfaction, career development and innovation. We are honored to be recognized on Forbes America's Best Employers for Tech Workers 2026 ranking. "Great technology starts with great people," said Angie Freeman, Chief Human Resources & ESG Officer at C.H. Robinson. "We're raising the bar and tackling some of the most complex supply chain challenges in the world. That requires talented, empowered people. We're proud to have a culture where employees bring their expertise and ideas to life, build rewarding careers and help move our industry forward." Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high-profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, relevant business data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys. About C.H. Robinson C.H. Robinson is the global leader in Lean AI supply chains. For more than a century, companies everywhere have looked to us to reimagine how goods move. Now, as we redefine what's next for the industry, that same drive fuels our commitment to Building Tomorrow's Supply Chains, Today(TM). Trusted by 75,000 customers and 450,000 contract carriers, we manage an unmatched 37 million shipments annually, representing $23 billion in freight. We deliver tailored solutions across the world via truckload, less-than-truckload, ocean, air, and more. With our unique combination of human insight and Lean AI working as one, supply chains move faster, smarter, and more sustainably. As a responsible global citizen, we proudly contribute millions to the causes that matter most to our employees. For more information visit www.chrobinson.com. (Nasdaq: CHRW)